FL-3712
by orangeyhairedimmortal
Summary: The Drachmans took a man they should have never taken and until he is home, no one will give up. But it's been a year and a half and the light seems to be getting dimmer. Havoc and Edward decide to take a rescue mission into their own hands and go to Drachma to find the man they so desperately want to find. But what they find may not be exactly what they are looking for. kid!Roy
1. Chapter 1

**sorry for the long pauses but life and all that fun stuff**

 **this is post-manga so for those who are unaware, for a little while, grumman is the fuhrer. also, as an easter egg, there is rumor in the FMA-verse that grumman is actually riza's grandfather or uncle (can't remember). you'll see what i mean.**

 **enjoy.**

* * *

Havoc rubbed his eyes again as he tried to stay awake and look at the files a little longer. He wouldn't rest until he got through every last page, every file… every word. He lifted the paper again to read it, squinting to try and concentrate. He _had_ to finish this one last page in this last file. At least if he could do that then maybe he could rest halfway decently. Havoc laughed at that thought. _Sleep… halfway decent… if tossing and turning on a continual basis suggests that then I'm in for a treat._ he said to himself sarcastically. He breathed in and shook his head again, trying to keep himself awake through this one last page.

* * *

"Havoc?"

Havoc sat up quickly, the paper he had been trying so hard to finish was stuck to his forehead. It fell to the desk as Riza looked at her fellow officer in bemusment.

"Have you been here all night?"

He yawned. "Apparently so… Damn, I was trying to finish this section of the file at least…"

Riza smiled sadly. "Any luck?"

"To be honest, I don't remember much of this report. Long hours and all… I think I would have remembered if there was something so I'm going to just say no, there isn't. God, why did they have to make things so complicated?"

"Why did they have to do anything at _all_?" she asked quietly; odd coming from the usually straightforward woman.

"Have you heard anything more from the higher ups?"

"The Fuhrer said he spoke with the Czar and although they are on peaceful terms, he said that the faction that has him in not tied to the government, but under the military. They are two different sections in Drachma. He said that the Czar is hoping to meet with the Grand Generalissimo soon to discuss a negotiation with said faction."

Havoc pulled his cigarettes out and lit one up.

"It's been too long already. I mean, a year and a half just to even get an audience with the Czar? How long will the meeting between him and this Grand Generalissimo character take? _Another_ year? By then he should give up on us."

Riza could tell the late nights and constant worry was getting to him. She couldn't blame him though; she had the same feelings. Even though Havoc felt responsible for what happened, she was just as guilty as well as another person. Well… none of them were guilty of anything. It was all happenchance.

"Why don't you go home and rest, Havoc? Pulling all nighters to ruin your career won't do much good. Eventually, you have to get back to your own world and back to routine."

Havoc wanted to choke the lieutenant.

"Did it really take you so little time to get over him? Did he leave your mind that quickly?" he snapped, taking the cigarette out his mouth to glare at her.

Riza narrowed her eyes. "You're out of line, Second Lieutenant. I'm going to act like I didn't just hear what you said because I understand what fatigue can do to a person but no, I _haven't_ forgotten him. I dream of him every night. I dream that he'll come waltzing through that door with that smug grin on his face talking about a date he did or didn't really have just to make you mad. I dream that he'll call me on the phone and vent to me about the hold ups that's keeping him from returning back from his yearlong mission, like sheep on the tracks or something beyond his control like that, but that he's making his way home. That he'll be home soon… But they're just dreams, Jean. It's all I have to keep me from going insane."

Riza never called him Jean unless her guard was down and he reached across the desk, taking her hand.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized this would be harder for you since you were so close to him. I'm just tired and cranky and sore. I didn't mean to upset you."

"How's the therapy coming?" she asked, and her complete façade dropped long enough for Havoc to see the actual desperation in her eyes for him to change the subject.

"Doc says I should be able to walk without the cane soon if I continue on this pace. He said I'm coming along well."

He stood up and rubbed the small of his back and then his thighs, grabbing the cane from beside his desk.

"I'm going to head home. Let me know if you hear of anything. Have you heard from Ed lately?"

"No, but I'm sure he'd like to hear an update or two. I've been busy dealing with the logistics of everything to have time."

"I'll give him a ring."

Havoc smiled and left.

* * *

Alphonse opened Edward's door and found him laying on the writing desk with an open bottle of wine next to him. Al sighed and touched his brother on the shoulder. Edward stirred and looked up blearily at his brother.

"Al?"

"You did it again."

Edward narrowed his eyes at his brother and then looked at the open wine bottle.

"Oh… must be becoming a habit."

"Don't say that so blasé. If you would actually talk about it with someone not think that you have to shoulder all of the blame then you might not try to drown your sorrows in the bottom of a wine bottle."

"If I don't forget then I remember. If I remember, then all I can think of is-"

" _Don't say it._ " Alphonse hissed, making Edward look at him in confusion. "Stop saying that it's your fault when no one knew what was going to happen that day."

"I can't just do that, Alphonse. So far, you haven't done anything that's had cause for you to believe you needed to shoulder a whole hell of a lot of blame. I made you lose your body for years and you were stuck in a hollow suit of armor, unable to feel or express proper emotion… I took your life away practically. And now… just when I finally fixed one thing I massively screwed up, something else came along… I got him _captured_ because of me."

"Did you send a letter to the Drachman army to tell them where he would be? Did you plan a coup against him, setting up informants at that exact location?"

"No."

"Then you had nothing to do with what happened and you're not at fault."

Edward ran his fingers through his hair, trying to wake up more and fix his hangover.

"I get that, really-"

"Well then if you get that, then why do you still rely on that bottle instead of your family? Why do you keep putting the blame on your shoulders alone?" He didn't answer and Alphonse sighed in exasperation. "I came to tell you that someone was on the phone for you."

"At this hour?"

Alphonse shrugged and left as Edward yawned again, stretching. He walked as slowly as possible to the phone, careful not to jar himself due to the hangover. He got to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chief, it's Havoc." He said.

Edward jumped at Havoc's voice being too loud in the phone and pulled the receiver from his ear.

"Oh… hey…"

"How's it been?"

"Peachy. What's the status?"

"Well, the Fuhrer said he's spoken with the Czar and all he can do as of now is speak with the Grand Generalissimo since the government and the military are separate divisions in the country."

"What does that mean for us?"

"The Czar has to get permission from the Grand Generalissimo to conduct a search within the military as well investigate on accounts of anything we present. Without the Grand Generalissimo's permission, the Czar can't get any information to the Fuhrer and can't negotiate anything for us through the Czar."

Edward clenched the receiver. "So what the hell have they been doing all this time? Playing checkers when they're supposed to be playing chess?!"

"Your anger is as much as mine, kid. All this time and all we've gotten was a silly little answer?"

"Grumman seems like he's taking his sweet time. Does that bastard even care?"

"If I didn't know him personally, I'd agree with you, but Grumman views him almost like a son and so I know for a fact that he's been doing everything possible within any spare minute he has to try and get things done. Hawkeye could tell you more since she has a connection to him on a more personal level. All I can tell you is this: when we get the okay to go in there, you and I are already on the team."

"And if we _don't_ get clearance?"

"You and I will already be a team. I want him _home_. I don't care if Grumman wants us to go or not but I'm not letting another year slip by without him being home… dead or alive."

" _Please_ don't say that."

"Wouldn't you rather know he was back in Amestris at all? At least if he's here, we know where he is, and if he happens to be… dead… he's not being left to rot like a piece of garbage or treated like some insignificant peon. No, he'll be back in Amestris where he belongs, in a monument, with a gravesite and a headstone so we know _exactly_ where he is at all times. I'm not going to give up on him, good or bad."

"I know… just keep me informed of what we're going to do… Hey, Havoc?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"Do you… do you think I hadn't asked him to come to Resembool-"

"No one blames you, Ed. The Colonel wouldn't blame you either. The only thing that can be blamed is the time. We are taking way too long to find him."

"Yeah."

"I'll call you if I get any more information."

They hung up and Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging his aching head. _I hope you're alright, Colonel. We're doing the best that we can. We'll find you… don't give up on us._ he prayed to a god he didn't believe in.

* * *

 **it looks like it's the colonel's turn. mwahaha. what will i do with him? and i wanted ed just a teeny bit ooc in regards to his handling of roy's capture just for plot's sake. sorry.**

 **anyway, just a quick little plip of info: drachma seems like they might be based off russians due to the hats i saw when they were invading. i could be wrong. but we don't know much about the other lands around amestris.**

 **second, there are ways for the military and the government not to work together. technically, the czar is over the people and laws and stuff and the military is run by the grand generalissimo (which is a real term) and runs all military dealings except assassinations. they collaborate with the government**

 **ps: i will try my HARDEST not to make this like Broken. i really don't think it will be but please don't hesitate to tell me if that happens.**


	2. Chapter 2

**this is a little short but i think you'll like it**

* * *

Grumman frowned at the letter in his hand, reading it again just to double check that he got the meaning.

 _Acting Fuhrer Grumman,_

 _I regret to inform you that G. G. Valintin has declined to meet with me in regards to discussing the whereabouts of your missing soldier. He has informed me, however, that the attack your soldier was involved in was not something he had authorized. He believes there is a faction within the military that took it upon themselves to stage the capture of your soldier. If he finds anymore information regarding this assumption, I will contact you immediately._

 _Unfortunately, if he will not meet with me, I cannot investigate into the reasonings behind such an action (if true) or who may have led this alleged coup._

 _My sincere apologies._

 _Signed,_

 _Czar Mikhail_

Grumman knew that Roy's subordinates were not going to like this news.

The door opened and Riza walked in.

"Your tea."

"Thank you, my dear."

She gave a small nod. "Is… that letter from Drachma?"

He smiled sadly. "Yes, but… the news is not good, I'm afraid."

"Any news is better than no news."

"That's just it, it's not really anything to use. The Czar was informing me that the Grand Generalissimo will not have an audience with him, so that means he can't go any farther and thus I can't go farther. We can't do _anything_. The only good bit of news is that the Grand Generalissimo believes that a faction within the military planned the attack without his permission. If that's the case, then hopefully he will get wind of more information and we will hear about it soon."

"That's not very convincing." Riza said softly.

Grumman smiled sadly again. "I know… but if we try to force information out of them, we will end ourselves in another war. We just got over one hell of a battle with people that… well, that weren't exactly human. The country is picking itself back up and going back to normal and the military is reforming itself. We had a large number of soldiers resign after the incident with the Homunculus."

"So I've heard rumor."

"Until the military gets itself put back together, invoking the wrath of a country like Drachma, who was using our distracted forces to almost make an entry into Amestris, would be the end of us."

"I agree. Do I have permission to share this news with the others?"

"If you will be discreet. We don't need more than Roy's lot to be enraged anymore over this. I'm sure they will come up with something. I mean, it's not like I can keep a watch on everyone." He said, pouring tea into his cup.

Riza blinked a little as Grumman poured milk in.

"Go on, Riza." He said softly.

She got up and left the room, a ghost of a smile appearing.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Havoc yelled, slamming his hands on the table in the café. "Are you _serious_?!"

"Pipe down, Havoc." Breda growled, pulling his friend back down to his chair. "Stop overreacting."

"Over- how-"

"So, what do we do now?" Fuery asked, looking at his cup of coffee. "I mean, without permission from that Grand Generalissimo guy, we have nothing to go on."

Riza nodded as she sat back.

"True, we can't get any information about what may have happened. But the Colonel would want us to continue helping support the military and get it back on its feet. Grumman mentioned that we lost a lot of men due to the events that happened during the Promised Day. We need to do what we can to get this country back on its feet. Then, when we _do_ find the Colonel, we can have him come back to a stable country and then help him rise to Fuhrer like we planned all along."

"Well how the hell are we going to do _that_ when we can't even get into the stupid country?" Havoc growled.

"The Fuhrer can't oversee everyone _all_ the time; he has so much to keep track of. He's too busy right now trying to regroup the military into a halfway decent militia with the men we have. Trying to keep up with a mission in Drachma could make things difficult for him." Riza said.

"Yeah, maybe we should just focus on getting everything back to normal so that when we do get permission, we will be ready and able." Fuery said.

"I know you're pissed off about this, Jean, but going in there half-assed isn't going to accomplish anything." Breda said as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Havoc sneered and finished the rest of his coffee.

"I'm going out for a smoke." He growled, grabbing his coat.

He walked outside and put his coat on, grabbing the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. He lit it up with his lighter and blew out some smoke. He walked to a phone booth that was a little ways off and went into it, leaving the door open.

* * *

Edward wiped his forehead and drank some water. Doing hard labor was such a nuisance. He would never wish what happened to Al to happen again but damn did he miss alchemy. He looked around for a second and clapped his hands, putting them on the board but nothing happened. He frowned and picked the board up, walking over to the frame of a building.

"You think you can hide it but I know you miss it." someone said behind him.

He looked behind him as Winry smiled. He made a face.

"What are you talking about?"

"You miss alchemy."

"Well, yeah… It was a big part of my life, so how could I not?"

"Why don't you try to study it again? You're still smart enough to understand it, right?"

"It's not a matter of understanding. I can't get that back. I'll never be able to use alchemy again."

"Oh…"

"It's not that big of a deal, Winry. Al is back and that's all that matters. If I cared just about my ability to use alchemy I wouldn't have sacrificed it for my brother. Besides, I thought I could play god because of the power alchemy gave me. It's kind of a good riddance but… it shows me how much I relied on it."

Winry looked behind him and frowned.

"Apparently way too much."

"I was an alchemist not an architect." Edward growled.

Winry laughed and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Ed, it doesn't matter if you have alchemy or not, you're still Edward Elric to me."

Edward smiled as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Brother!"

He growled and turned as Alphonse looked at the frame of the house with his hands on his hips.

"What's this supposed to be?"

"The frame."

"To _what_?"

"The house…"

"Are you making a house for ants?" Al kicked the boards and it fell over. "BROTHER!"

"I'M NOT AN ARCHITECT!" he screamed. " _You_ can still use alchemy, so why don't you just clap your hands and make it, damn it?!"

"Because that's cheating." Al said with a wag of his finger. "And besides, you need to learn how to use your hands in a more convenient way."

"Well apparently building a house is not on that list." He said with a cross of his arms.

"Ed? There's a phone call for you." Pinako said from the stairs.

"Good, a distraction." He grumbled.

He walked into the house and took the phone.

"This is Edward."

"Hey, Chief."

"Hey, Havoc."

"So, I have some news."

"It doesn't sound very good."

"It isn't. Hawkeye got word from Grumman that he can't proceed with the investigation because the military guy in Drachma won't let them. Although he did say that the attack wasn't ordered by the Grand Generalissimo and that there is speculation of a separate faction making their own decisions."

"So what now? Do we wait another year?" Edward growled.

"No. Word on the street is that the Fuhrer is _very_ busy and that he just can't… keep up with everyone. He can't oversee everyone _all_ the time. I mean, a few of us might… slip through the cracks."

Edward smirked and leaned on the wall.

"I see. That would be a shame if something happened due to all this confusion."

"Indeed… You like the snow, Fullmetal?"

Edward grinned. "No, but I think I'll learn to deal with it."

* * *

 **in short, if anyone did not catch onto the many hints, grumman pretty much said that he's got a lot of stuff to do but if a couple of soldiers somehow 'coincidentally' went to drachma to check things out themselves, he would never be the wiser.**

 **basically, the game is afoot!**

 **and ed hasn't proposed to winry in this. just thought i'd bring that out. they are dating but that's it. and mei went back to xing for a bit.**


	3. Chapter 3

**i apologize for these chaps being so short but they'll get a little longer soon with a little more meat to them. i'm still working out the kinks and all and it's kind of new territory (drachma) so getting that world together is a bit hectic. but i shall prevail!**

* * *

Edward shivered violently as Havoc walked over to him, holding out a small piece of paper.

"We have about an hour before the train comes. Are you going to be alright?"

"No… I thought it was a danger when my automail got cold against my flesh shoulder but it's even colder now."

"Best get used to it, Chief. We're going to be in colder weather in Drachma. I hear the high over there is 5° and the low is -16°." Edward blanched at him as Havoc lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall. "I'm sure there are better coat shops in Drachma due to such a drastic climate change anyway."

"I hope so or I'll be dead before we get there. At least the train will be warm…"

"That and they'll be serving warm dishes and drinks on there too. Although… you may want to consider wearing a hat."

"A hat? Why?"

"Your Amestris is showing." He said, pointing to Edward's golden hair.

Edward looked at his hair as it lay on his shoulder. He shrugged.

"I'll just dye it or something."

"It won't make a difference. Drachmans aren't known for long hair, so even if you dye it they will still be suspicious of you. Your eyes aren't dark enough for a Xingese and the Cretes wouldn't dare step foot in Drachma after the war they had. If that treaty were to be broken, there'd be a whole other war we'd have to deal with."

"But I thought we were under a Treaty of Non-Aggression?"

"That was before they decided to try and take out Fort Briggs. I know Grumman made up some sort of other treaty but I think one of the stipulations was that Drachmans don't come over here and Amestrians don't go over there except by certain permissions."

Edward sighed, shivering again. "Well I'm not going to cut my hair and stuffing it in a hat is stupid."

"You'll have to compromise somewhere, Chief."

"Why couldn't the Colonel get captured by someone in a warmer climate?" Edward grumbled.

Havoc smiled a little as they stood for another few minutes.

"Why are you telling me to cover my hair up when you have blonde hair too?"

"But I have a hat."

Edward growled but knew he would have to get a hat at some point just for keeping warm.

"I'm going to go get a coffee. You want one?" he asked Havoc.

"Sure. Beats standing out here."

They both went to a small bar that was selling coffee and got a cup. Edward put his hands around the mug and reveled in the warmth of it.

"So, where are we going to go first when we get into Drachma? Have you ever been?"

"No, unfortunately. All I have is a map and I think it's outdated."

Edward frowned. "So far this is sucking."

"All we know is that he's in Drachma somewhere and that's a big ass country. We'll start from Ground Zero I guess… then again, Riza did say that the Fuhrer was told by the Czar that the Grand Generalissimo thought that there may have been an inside faction within the military that did it. If that's the case, we can start there."

"How will we get any information on the military if we can't get into the military? You want to recruit yourself?"

"You've never been on a real mission, have you?"

"I've been on plenty." He said, crossing his arms.

Havoc made a face. "The Colonel catered to your needs on most of your missions. You needed a Philosopher's Stone and/or information on what could be done about Al's body and so he catered to that and sent you on missions that would give you the answers you sought. This is a _real_ mission, where you have to gather intel and keep undercover. This isn't like in Amestris."

"Okay…"

"The best place to get any information on things is right here." Havoc said, looking around the bar. "A bar. _Especially_ a bar that hosts military personnel on a daily basis."

"A bar?" Edward said with a lift of his eyebrow.

"Do you know how many drunk soldiers spill military secrets to the bar tender without their knowledge? The most informed person in the military isn't even _in_ the military. A bar keep probably knows more about what's going on than a Fuhrer or that Grand Generalissimo guy. So, my thought is that we go to a bar that frequents Drachman soldiers and see what we can find out. Along with the barkeep though, just listening to the conversations held at normal speaking level will help as well. A bar with lots of talking people makes it easier to speak normally without 'technically' being heard unless someone is really listening."

"I see. So we sneak into a bar, befriend the barkeep and… what? Hang out there?"

"Obviously take action."

The announcement for them to board their train came over the loudspeaker and they got up to get on.

* * *

As they pounded through the deep forestry of the North, Edward couldn't help but think of what Roy might be going through. He wasn't fully recovered when he had asked him to visit them in Resembool. He knew he was depressed about some things and that was why he asked him to come visit but…

"Hey, pull your hat down. We've got Drachman soldiers." Havoc whispered.

Edward pulled the bomber hat flaps down over his ears and sat back as a small troop of soldiers walked by. Once they had passed, the two of them sighed.

"Why are we hiding? I thought we were supposed to be infiltrating anyway?" Edward asked.

"From what I understood, the Drachmans are all brown haired. Until I see a blonde headed Drachman, I'm keeping my guard up."

Edward frowned. "That's stupid. Most Amestrians are blonde headed but I've seen plenty who aren't. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes weren't. My mom wasn't. I'm sure that not everyone in Drachma is brown haired. It's not like Xing where the whole place is made of up of one huge family with pretty significant traits."

"If you're so sure then why are you keeping your hat on?"

"Because I'm friggin _cold_. I thought the train would have more warmth to it. I'm going to go to sleep. How long was it to get to Drachma again?"

"About two days journey."

"Yeah, I'm taking me a nap." He said with a yawn. "I've been so tired."

"Doing a lot of stuff with your girlfriend?"

Edward made a face. "I've been doing a lot of non-alchemy stuff I'm not used to. It wears you out."

Havoc nodded as Edward fell asleep on the bench. Havoc leaned back and looked at the white wilderness and hoped that Roy was alright. _We're coming Colonel…_

* * *

Alphonse walked into Winry's house and looked around.

"Where's Brother?"

"What do you mean? I thought he was with you."

"No… I haven't seen him since the other day."

Winry frowned. "He's not over there trying to rebuild the house?"

"No."

"He left." Pinako said, coming into the living room with her pipe. "He left a note on the kitchen table; didn't you read it?"

"No…" Winry and Al said together.

Pinako sighed and pulled out the note and unfolded it.

"'I've left to find something with Havoc. Don't know when I'll be back. Edward.'"

Alphonse made a face and put his hands on his hips.

"He left without me!"

"He left without _telling_ me!" Winry yelled.

"Don't be so hard on him." Pinako said, folding the letter back up. "He's been out of his element for a while now. I think this may be good for him. This will be the first time he's done something since losing his alchemy and also the most like himself he's been since the whole train incident. Knowing that kid, that's what this is about; but this will be new for him and if it keeps him from sitting here sloshed all the time, I'd rather him go do it."

Alphonse and Winry looked at each other and knew Pinako was right. After going through a harsh time with trying to fix Alphonse, losing the only thing he was amazing at, and then losing the Colonel, maybe Edward _did_ need a journey of self-discovery. Alphonse sighed and looked up at the sky. _I hope you stay out of trouble, Brother…_

* * *

 **yes, edward needs a little tlc on his ego haha. i'm sure he's smart in other aspects but his whole schtick was alchemy and what he could do with it so realizing that his hands on was just a ruse from alchemy kind of hit his ego. i really don't see him being that hands on before. so now he must find a better way. he'll make it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**it's fairly common knowledge that drachma is based a lot on russia. that being said, i have used russian as a base for a lot of things. if you know russian and/or just want to play around, i have some lil fun easter eggs in translation of stuff. except po-flotski, that's a real thing**

* * *

"Last call, Platform Zolotoy Yug! Last call, Platform Zolotoy Yug!"

"Edward! Edward, get up!"

"Leave me alone, Al…" Edward grumbled, moving his arm to get the prodding person away.

Havoc growled, smashing his cigarette into the ash tray and used both of his hands to wake up the young man.

"Edward, get up! We have to go! We'll get stuck on this train if we don't get off now."

Edward moaned but opened his eyes, looking around. He sat up and saw Havoc glaring at him.

"Havoc?"

Havoc growled and smacked Edward's face, making him stand up quickly.

"What the hell, man?!"

"Wake the hell up, soldier! You're stalling and we're about to get our asses left on this train. Now, get your bag and hurry up!"

Edward grumbled, pulling his hand lower on his head, and grabbed his bag.

Just as the conductor was about to yell for the train to keep moving, Havoc and Edward jumped onto the platform. The man gave them a look.

"You almost got left. If you know what's good for you, you'll get to moving when we call for the last call."

"I apologize, my friend. My buddy has been working so hard on his house that he just went to sleep and practically died. Trying to wake him up was exhausting."

The conductor just made a face and got back on the train. Havoc looked at Edward again and made a face.

"See?"

"Well, why are Drachman's so friggin mean?"

"Doesn't matter. We need to find a bar that frequents Drachman soldiers… Now where do you think we could find one?"

"You want to look around or ask around?"

Havoc shoved him and Edward looked at him like he was crazy.

"What is your _problem_?"

"Your rookie-ness is showing. You don't just go up and ask about a bar that frequents soldiers- God damn it."

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you know of a bar that frequents soldiers?" Edward said to the ticket lady.

" _Edward_ …" Havoc seethed.

"A bar that frequents soldiers? That's an odd request."

"Well you see-"

"I'm so sorry about that ma'am. My companion is a little tired from doing all this house- OW!"

Havoc grabbed his hand and saw the bite mark where Edward had bitten him. He glared at the blonde but he was talking with the ticket lady again.

"As I was about to say, I'm looking for my father. He was in the last attack against Amestris but when he never came home, I told my mother that I would look around and see if anyone has seen him. The last person I talked to said that looking in bars that frequent Drachman soldiers may get me a better lead."

"Well, it is true that the soldiers tend to hang around the bars when they are done with war. There are two bars that are still serving the Drachman soldiers right now. Why would your father not want to come home? He seems like a loving man from the way you're looking for him."

"He had promised my mother that they would go into victory and defeat those stinking Amestrians… but things did not go so well and my father is such a proud man…"

"I see. Well, I can write those names down for you."

"Thank you, ma'am. I'd appreciate it."

The woman wrote the names of the bars down and Edward walked back over to Havoc, who was actually pretty impressed.

"Rookie, my ass. Come on; let's go see where these places are."

* * *

As they entered the cold again, Havoc stood beside Edward and shivered.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"I'm not an idiot. I went on plenty of missions without you to gather information for the Philosopher's Stone so what makes you think I don't know how to get some now?"

"Well, we're in a covert operation in a land that doesn't accept us."

"That's true but I'm not that stupid. I know how to finagle an old lady."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you… that being said, what's the names on there?"

"I've got **The Mug Head** and this rough looking place called **Prikhotlivyy Yedinorog**. They both sound like places soldiers would hang out…"

"We'll try them both. I wonder if they have a map around here to see which one is closer…"

Havoc walked towards the middle of town to see if there was a map hanging up anywhere. When he finally found a directory, he turned to tell Edward but found the young man talking to a random person on the street and he clenched his hands. He tromped back over as the person left and Edward waved them off.

"Why do you keep doing that?!"

"I'm asking for directions. We don't have time to look for crap. That guy said that **The Mug Head** was just around the corner here but that in order to get to **Pricklehot Yellowfrog** we would have to ask the people inside of the first bar. Apparently the second one is a high scale pub… if that's actually a thing."

"Pricklehot Yellowfrog?"

"It's in Drachman! I hope it's got a nickname…"

Havoc followed the small street around the market and as they turned the corner, **The Mug Head** was right there. It looked like a rundown shack but if they wanted any type of intel on the whereabouts of their friend, they were going to have to suck it up.

* * *

They opened the door and Edward tried not to gag. It was full of the smell of smoke ranging from cigars to cigarettes. Edward could handle Havoc's cigarettes, considering Havoc himself was usually pretty accommodating with it around his friends and tried to limit himself, but these guys… Fanning through the smog, they made their way up to bar and sat down. A large man turned around and leaned on the bar.

"What'll it be?"

"We actually just had a question regarding some… POWs."

"POWs? What you trying to say? That I'm harboring some?"

"No, nothing like that." Edward said, looking at a bottle of vodka looking quite appetizing beside him. "It's more to do with anyone who had a hand in them." He looked back at the man. "There's always POWs in war, Mr. Bartender. We were wondering if you knew anyone who had direct contact with them or was over them."

The man leaned on the bar some more and then pointed up over the bar.

"You see that sign?"

Havoc and Edward looked up over the bar and found a sign that read: **SOLDIERS : WAR IS WAR, DRINKING IS DRINKING; HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT AND DRINK TO STOP THINKING.**

"I didn't put it up there because I like pretty things in my bar. Got enough talks of war all the time and I don't want any of that mess in here. If you want to talk about what soldiers talk about, you can go over to **The Yeti**."

"What's that?"

"It's the short version of the **Prikhotlivyy Yedinorog** or what the locals call, **The Yeti**. You want military info, that's where you'll find it. I made my bar so people could forget about what they have to go through and I have a no tolerance policy about it."

"I apologize for the misunderstanding, sir. We are from farther north and don't frequent this town too often." Havoc said with an apologetic smile. "Pray tell, though, could you direct us to where **The Yeti** is?"

"Sure. Take two blocks going straight from the door and then take a left. You'll see a snow white overhang and that's where it is… You seem awful specific about what you're looking for though."

Edward leaned on the bar and pointed up to the sign.

"Uh, uh, no tolerance policy."

He smirked. "Well played, boy…"

Edward smiled and they left the bar to go to the other one.

* * *

They finally got to **The Yeti** and Havoc put his hand across Edward to block him before he went in.

"What?"

"Listen, you need to stop going ahead of me and just doing whatever you want to do regarding the situation. I know you want information on the Colonel as much as I do, but we have to play this right. We keep getting ourselves too close to discovery and if we get found out, they'll kick us out, I'll get demoted and/or court marshaled, and you'll be fined and/or arrested for impersonating an active officer of the military. Let _me_ handle this."

"Alright, fine…"

Havoc sighed of relief and opened the door to the bar. The bar was will of Drachman soldiers and it made him actually feel a little on edge. It was the first time he had faced them without a gun pointing at their faces or a sense of urgency to defend himself. It came with the literally territory and he breathed in, trying to keep himself calm. They walked over to the bar where a jolly looking young man was tending to the soldiers at the bar and Havoc and Edward found two available seats. Almost immediately, the barkeep put two napkins down and leaned on the bar.

"What can I do you gentlemen for?"

"I'll take a vodka, straight." Edward said. Havoc looked at him. "What? Al's been making me miss out."

"Are you sure you want to go down this path?"

"It makes me feel good." He growled.

The barkeep came back with a glass of clear liquid with a single ice chunk in the middle. He turned to Havoc.

"You sir?"

"A pint of whatever's your finest."

"Got just the thing for ya."

He walked away and went to a barrel to pull on the tap. It filled up and frothed over the mug. He brought it over and put it on the napkin.

"Anything else? I hear talk that we sell a pretty good _po-flotski_."

"I'm not sure what that is…" Edward mumbled into his glass. Havoc nudged him in the ribs and almost made him miss his sip. "The hell, Havoc?"

The barkeep blinked at him for a second and then smiled a little.

"I think I have something you'll like. On the house."

He walked away and Havoc glared at him.

"You may not know what these people are talking about in a sense, but if you start acting like you're ignorant to their culture you're going to draw attention that," He got closer and put his hand to the side of his mouth and whispered, "We're not Drachman at all. Keep your ignorance to a minimum."

"You know, it's stupid shit like this that makes me happy I'm not longer in the military." Edward growled back as he downed the last of the vodka. "That was delicious. I'm going ot have to get another glass."

"How about no? I've heard of your prevalence to 'the glass'."

"Rumors."

"As for now, try to keep sober enough to listen out for intel on the whereabouts of POWs. This bar looks like it likes to hold meetings in plain sight. Actually, you stay here and I'll survey the place as well as ask about lodging. We need something close by so we can frequent here until we get something."

Edward sighed as Havoc left and he took out the block of ice to suck the vodka off of it. If nothing else, these Drachmans had amazing vodka…

"Here you are, sir. Oh, where's your friend?"

"He went off to look for lodging and some other stuff. You think you could give me a bit more of that vodka? That was great."

"Sure thing."

Edward looked down and frowned a little. He looked at the dish as the barkeep brought the bottle over to him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Why did you serve this to me?" Edward asked, looking the barkeep in the eyes.

The man smiled and leaned on his elbow. "Well, when I see those from another country around, I like to make them feel at home. I believe this is a traditional 'golden' dish, am I right?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at the man as he just watched him.

"What's your angle?"

"I could ask the same of you and your friend. If you're supposed to be undercover for something, you're not doing a very good job of it."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Aaaand you're _still_ not convincing me of anything. Let me give you some advice: around here your kind is definitely not welcome. I won't cause a scene but the owner of the bar will. If you want information on something, I'd keep your talking to a minimum so as not to blow your cover."

"I'm-"

"I already know you're a… Golden Boy." Edward made a face at him as he winked. "Don't worry, the guys at the bar are too drunk to realize anything. You have three solid giveaways as to how I know; want to know what they are?"

"I guess…"

"One, your eyes. Drachmans don't have eyes like yours in the slightest. Only Golden Boys have the potential of maybe having that recessive Xerxes coloring. Two, I listen out for a lot of things and you mentioned POWs. There's no reason a Drachman would be in a bar in Drachma to look for POWs. They would be leaving to get closer to Amestris to do that. And three, you don't know what _po-flotski_ is. It's usually served in the navy but it came inland due to how easy and inexpensive it is to make. It's a very common Drachman dish and the fact that you slipped up about what it was? Shame…" Edward moved his mouth to the side as the barkeep smiled again. "How was that?"

"Fine, you win… Are you going to turn us in or something?"

"No. I have to quarrel with you. You two don't seem to be wanting to start trouble, but I have to ask what (or _who_ ) you're looking for. I might be able to help you."

"Why would you want to help us?"

"I have my reasons…"

"So then you'll understand why I won't divulge a lot of information to you."

"Let's just say there are some odd things happening in this country. Things that are not exactly the best… We might be looking for the same thing."

Edward debated saying anything but he picked up his fork and started eating the food, thinking.

"Are you aware of an attack on a train in East City?"

The barkeep narrowed his hazel eyes at him and motioned for him to get closer and Edward leaned in.

"Find your friend and meet me in front of an inn near here called &Sneg Soset&. We have much to discuss. My name is Yuri Slovanov, by the way. Yours?"

"It's… Edward."

"I will meet you there in one hour."

* * *

 **oh my! what will yuri talk to them about? is he a friend or foe?**

 **and that po-flotski stuff seems really friggin tasty! it's basically ground beef, onions, and pasta but like, i'm down for that. it fills you up and is inexpensive. just odd some seasoning and you've got a very tasty thing going on**

 **also too, i figured that the golden features of xerxes would be more in line with amestrians than drachmans. i'm sure the xerxians (?) traveled about before they were completely destroyed but i dont think they would have gone as far up as drachma. i think they probably went over to primitive amestris on the eastern side and played around in xing but other than that, they stayed in their vicinity. that being said, yuri calling him a golden boy is an insult as well as a show he is of amestrian descent since it seems amestrians have more golden features within the country than the others do. this is me making assumptions.**


End file.
